How to Smoke a Brisket

How to cook a brisket

Here's our simple and easy go-to guide for the perfect smoked brisket, every time. The key thing to remember is that smoking a brisket is really not as hard as it sounds. Follow our guide and you'll be a smoked brisket master in no time!

Overview

Brisket comes from within the pectoral muscle of a cow (the chest area). The brisket can be separated into the point and the flat. The flat is lean and the point is marbled. Brisket typically is purchased as a "full packer". This means that the flat and point are still connected on the brisket and cooked as one cut. 

Brisket is readily available in every grocery store, warehouse club store, and your local butcher. We recommend smoking the brisket with all the fat still on it, and then trimming the fat off to your liking before serving.

Method

  1. PREPARE. Prepare the smoking temperature to 220-230 degrees. Best if you can hang in the 225-degree range.
  2. SEASON. Rub brisket with olive oil all over to act as a binder for seasoning. Next rub Brisket Seasoning all over brisket and sides. (You can also use yellow mustard as a binder).
  3. FAT-SIDE DOWN. Contrary to what you may read you want to place and cook the brisket “fat side DOWN” … this allows the fat cap to shield the meat from direct heat and allows the meat as it cooks to sort of baste in the fat juices.
  4. SMOKE. For a Full Packer Brisket, you will want to smoke for 16-20 hours. You will want brisket to reach the MAGIC internal temperature of 208 degrees. (You will want to have a water pan or pan with apple juice in the smoker throughout the cook to add moisture in the smoker. You will want to lightly spritz the brisket throughout the cook to keep the meat surface moist for maximum smoke absorption into the meat. Lightly spritz about every hour.)
  5. REMOVE AND WRAP. At 208 degrees (about 16-20 hours or approximately 1.5 hours per pound) remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap the brisket in unwaxed Butcher paper (or foil). Then wrap completely in a towel and place brisket in an empty cooler and close top of cooler. (Tip -- We like to cut ½ - ¾ of butter into pats and place all over brisket before closing the Butcher paper or foil wrap).
  6. REST. Let brisket rest wrapped in cooler for 3-4 hours. (This is a key step and will help further tenderize the brisket).
  7. TRIM. Trim off fat to your liking and slice brisket against the grain and serve. Dig in and make your mouth HAPPY!

And there you have it! Like we said earlier, smoking a brisket is really not as hard as it sounds. The important thing is to get out there and cook up your own story. And always remember to Live Life Well Done.

Back to Cooking Guides